V8 Taurus??

[R W Burgess]

Any of you guys ever heard of a V8 Taurus? I didn't think they ever out a V8 engine in any front wheel drive Ford, unless it's a rear drive.

Even the wife noticed this as being rare. [img]<>/smile.gif[/img]

Wayne

[stock_steve]

Evidently so, Wayne? - per: http://home.pon.net/hunnicutt/SHOpage.htm

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The Last Generation SHO:
1999 Ford Taurus SHO Specs

STICKER PRICE $29,000
POWERTRAIN Transverse front-engine/front-wheel drive
ENGINE 3.4 liter DOHC V8
Horsepower: 235 hp @ 6100 RPM
Torque: 230 lb-ft @ 4800 RPM
Redline: 6800 RPM
Compression ratio 10:1

[West Peterson]

Yeah. I remember those. A lot more money than a regular Taurus, about 35 more horsepower, and performance was marginally improved.

[ZondaC12]

Check out the EARLY '90s SHO. Now those are not to be messed with. 0-60 theyll give a fox mustang a hard time!

[R W Burgess]

Thanks Steve.

Yes, I remember the SHO V-6 from my earlier "racing" days, but had never heard of the 8. I assumed the transmission couldn't handle a high torque 8, but now see it wasn't that big an engine anyway.

Thanks again.
Wayne

[Dandy Dave]

Ford Taurus.... Wasn't that the one with the lemon front end that fell apart??? [img]<>/shocked.gif[/img]

I had a friend with a waggon and you could not keep brakes on it. The front end would shake like mad. I had another friend that had one with the same disease.

Yeah, I remember that model.

Dave!

[stock_steve]

Originally Posted By: 1DandyDaves

Ford Taurus.... Wasn't that the one with the lemon front end that fell apart??? [img]<>/shocked.gif[/img]

I had a friend with a waggon and you could not keep brakes on it. The front end would shake like mad. I had another friend that had one with the same disease.

That car seems to have been an assemblage of weak points, at least judging by my own hi-miles 1992 LX wagon. I've put a lot of money into keeping it running and reliable over the years.

But boy is it good-looking--I have to admit that...

[ZondaC12]

Originally Posted By: R W Burgess

Thanks Steve.

Yes, I remember the SHO V-6 from my earlier "racing" days, but had never heard of the 8. I assumed the transmission couldn't handle a high torque 8, but now see it wasn't that big an engine anyway.

Thanks again.
Wayne

Yeah just a little baby Yamaha 3.5L. Still kinda neat to be able to say you have a V8 Taurus! I'd put a Flowmaster on it [img]<>/laugh.gif[/img] But then again I'd put a Flowmaster on anything with a V8. If it were my choice mom's '02 Explorer would be loud too! [img]<>/laugh.gif[/img]

[Matt Harwood]

The late FWD Lincoln Continental sedan had a 4.6L V8 with substantial torque, too. That car's existence is why they were able to develop automatic FWD Taurus SHOs.

I test-drove a V8 SHO when they first came out and have to say I haven't driven many bone-stock sedans that would go from, say, 70-90 as rapidly as it did. Maybe it wasn't a stoplight dragster, but that little Yamaha V8 sang a sweet, sweet song at high speeds.

I think the fact that it was so expensive with little differentiation from garden-variety Tauruses (Tauri?) ended up killing it. I wish they had found other applications for that V8 FWD engine combination, say, in the lightweight Contour SVT or the Mercury Cougar. A V8-powered AWD Ford Fusion would be one hell of a car.

[joe_padavano]

Originally Posted By: R W Burgess

Any of you guys ever heard of a V8 Taurus? I didn't think they ever out a V8 engine in any front wheel drive Ford, unless it's a rear drive.

Even the wife noticed this as being rare. [img]<>/smile.gif[/img]

Wayne

Of course, it was the second gen Taurus SHO that had the V8, the first gen was the V6. The interesting thing is that it was a 60 degree V8 instead of the normal 90 deg between cylinder banks. This was done to allow it to fit in the Taurus engine bay. V8 engines are naturally balanced at 90 deg bank angle, V6 engines are naturally balanced at 60 deg. I believe the Taurus V8 had balance shafts. By the way, the V8 in the new Volvo XC90 is a descendant of that Taurus motor.

[Dave@Moon]

There were three generations of the SHO, 1986-1991, 1992-1995, and 1996-1999. It was the third generation that got the V8. The first two had 3.0L Yamaha V6s (with about a 50 hp gain over the stock Ford unit), with manual 5 speed transmission only at first. In 1993-1995 you could get an automatic, with the Yamaha engine boosted to 3.2L. V8 cars (3.4L) all got automatics. The third generation V8 was only a 15 hp gain over the 3.0, with overall performance actually declining relative to the manual transmission first generation cars.

My best friend bought an SHO in 1989, and I drove it several times. There was a world of difference between it and a normal Taurus. Off the line it was a little better, but passing speeds from 30-100 in high rpm range were QUICK! That engine could wind (8000 rpm redline)! (The V8 could only do 6800 rpm.) Sticky tires and beefed suspension made for impressive handling as well, Taurus or no Taurus!

I understand that a lot of the specialness of the car went by the wayside after the V8 was introduced, with suspension upgrades no different than what was available in the normal Taurus in addition to the performance losses with the automatic. The SHO is one that was missed in it's day, that's for sure. [img]<>/frown.gif[/img]

[Twitch]

Just goes to SHO how things have changed. I can vividly recall the 60s when The GM, Ford and Chrysler lines were truly at their best in interchangability. You could drop a 409 into a 58 Biscayne where a 6 had been. You could upgrade and bolt in trannies in any car almost. Sleepers could be made- 427 Falcons, 426 Darts, 427 Novas.

Parts would interchange within the marque and usually withing the family- accessories were swapable for most GM, Ford-Mercury and Chryslers products.

Alas today we're stuck with requiring a specialized and unique starter or alternator for each and every vehicles in every line. And engine swaps? Forget about it!

Anyhow Wayne's comment gave me a flashback.

[R W Burgess]

Hey Twitch, think of all of the cool, air fairings, grill inserts, after market wheels you can now purchase to make your car look really, really fast! [img]<>/grin.gif[/img]

It's shame, these kids of today have no idea how it was in the old days.

Wayne

[ZondaC12]

Originally Posted By: R W Burgess

Hey Twitch, think of all of the cool, air fairings, grill inserts, after market wheels you can now purchase to make your car look really, really fast! [img]<>/grin.gif[/img]

It's shame, these kids of today have no idea how it was in the old days.

Wayne

Yeah and so if ever you feel bad about yourself for ANY reason, to ANY degreee.....know this: that you'll always be better off than kids like ME and we are VERRRRY jealous of you for having lived then! I love hearing the stories....and at the same time I hate it.

Well, times change, but AT LEAST the preserved iron remains!!!!!!!

[imported_kuhner]

Seams like alot of interest in the SHOs. I have a friend who has a pretty decent one he would love to sell. Pretty decent shape runner and driver, last I knew 1500 bucks could have it. If anyone would like to see the V8 Taurus themselves. I always thought it would be a decent future collectible.
Dont kick yourself when you are watching the 2048 Barrett Jackson auction knowing you could have had one of those for 1500 bucks!
Email me

kuhner

[ex98thdrill]

Quote:

Any of you guys ever heard of a V8 Taurus?

Yup. Back when I worked the crash truck at Watkins Glen International Speedway, we had a Ford Taurus Pace car with the V8 in it. I don't remember the exact year, but it was between 1997 and 2001.

What I do remember about the car is that we got it after Elmo Langley died (I want to say he died back in 1996 while suffering a heart attack at the Japan exhibition race), and before Brett Bodine started running the Pace Car. Buster was the Pace Car driver then, but I can't remember his last name.

Needless to say, Ford did make a V8 Taurus back in the late 90's early 2000's

[Twitch]

Wayne- I'm glad I got to live through the era of course not knowing it was a golden age of sorts. Then I sure never thought I'd see the industry turn to crap attempting to clone the foreigners. Though the industry smoothed out we're still stuck with lack of interchangeability that makes everything cost more.

Kuhner it's the flaw of relativity. In 1962 39-40 Fords went for $175 because nobody wanted old cars, except some kids. Nobody wants a Taurus either.

And there are still idiots today that say "yeah, people back then shoulda known that all old and derelict cars would be sought after someday."

It's all when and how much? Nobody could answer that.